Device for wringing hot packs and the like



Jan. 1934- J. M. CANTWELL DEVICE FOR WRINGING HOT PACKS AND THE LIKEFiled Aug. 6, 1930 /NVNTOR Patented Jan. 16, 1934 PATENT OFFICE DEVICEFOR WRINGING HOT PACKS AND THE LIKE Joseph M. Cantwell, Delmar, N. Y.,assignor of one-haif to Edward J. B.

Murray, Albany,

Application August 6, 193%). Serial No. 473,506

4 Claims.

One of the uses that I contemplate for my invention is the preparationof hot packs. Hitherto, it has been common in the preparation of suchpacks, for the person who is preparing them,

to use a strip of tough fabric such as ticking provided at each end withtransverse openings through which rods extend. Squares of flannel areplaced on the ticking at a portion thereof approximately midway betweenthe rods. The portion of the fabric carrying the flannel packs is thenimmersed in a basin containing boiling water to which is usually added asuitable germicidal solution. Due to the fact that the packs are usuallyused in connection with suppurating wounds, extreme care must beexercised by the operator to avoid contamination or transfer ofinfection from one pack to another. After the fabric bearing the flannelpacks is withdrawn from the basin, the operator rotates the rods inopposite directions in order to wring from the fabric and from the packsthe excess water. A pack, when properly prepared, should not contain anexcess of the hot water or solution as this results in scalding thepatient.

Such manual operation is extremely cumbersome and awkward and asconsiderable power must be exerted in carrying out the operation, manyfemale operators find that they have insuflicient strength to wring thenecessary amount of solution from the fabric and from the packs,properly to prepare the same.

In accordance with my invention, means are provided by which the packsmay be expeditiously and properly prepared and which require only a verysmall amount of manual labor to carry out the operation.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawing in which I haveillustrated a preferred embodiment of myinvention and in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the deviceembodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a removable bearing block;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of support for the rods;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation illustrating a modifled form of support;

Fig. 6 is a plan view, partially in section, of a modified form of thearm or member for supporting one end of one of the rods, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View of an end of one of the supporting rods forthe fabric.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing, 10 is a base plate for the device whichmay be secured to a bed plate or foundation by bolts (not illustrated)passing through openings, 11. Standards, 12 and 13, are secured to thebed plate, 10, and extend upwardly therefrom. While 1 have illustratedtwo standards, 12, at one end of the bed plate, 10, it will beunderstood that a single standard could be used and for convenience Ihave referred in the claims to the parts, 12, as a standard. Thestandard, 13, is preferably provided at its upper end with a crosspiece, 131.

Two arms, 14., are secured to the standard, 12, and extend inwardlytherefrom as best shown in 1. Each of the arms is, in the embodimentillustrated, provided at its end with an open-mouthed hook, 15,theopening in the hook being sufficiently large to permit the passage ofthe ends of the rods. A rod, 16, is received in the hooks, 15, and isretained in position by spring arms, 1'7, which are secured to thestandard, 12, as by screws, 18, and which extend over the openings inthe hooks, 15, the rod 16 thusbeing non-rotatably supported.

At the other end of the device, a shaft, 19, has its bearings partly inthe cross piece, 131, at the top of the standard and partly in a bearingblock, 21, as best shown in Fig. 3. A semicircular recess is indicatedat, 20, in Fig. 5 in the cross piece, 131, and a similar c0operatingrecess, 22, in the bearing block, 21, in Fig. 3.

The edges of the recess of the cross piece, 131, for the reception ofthe bearing block, are preferably undercut, as illustrated at, 23, inFig. 5, and forms a dovetail engagement with the bearing block, 21. Thebearing block is preferably provided at one end with flanges, 24, asbest shown in Fig. 3, which engage the cross piece, 131, which limitsthe inward movement of the bearing block while permitting ready removalof the bearing block in an outward direction.

A crosshead, 25, provided with a hub, 26, is secured to the inner end ofthe shaft, 19. Arms or members, 14, which may be the same as thosealready described, extend inwardly from crosshead, 25, and are providedat their ends with hooks, 15. A rod, 16, is received in the lastmentioned hooks, 15, and retained in position by spring arm, 17, in themanner above described.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, the shaft, 19, isactuated by a manually operated handle, 27, secured to the outer end ofthe shaft, 19.

- position.

A piece of flexible material, 29, preferably of tough fabric, such asticking, is secured to the rods, 16, at the opposite ends of the device.For this purpose, the ticking is preferably folded at each end and sewedas at, 30, to form openings, 31, extending transversely of the strip andin which the rods, 16, are received. The fabric strip, when in positionon the device, is adapted to receive hot packs, 32, or the like, whichit is desired to prepare for a patient. In the normal position, thestrip of fabric, before it has been subjected to the wringing operation,hangs as a festoon, as shown in Fig. l, and in full lines in Fig. 2, andis adapted to receive hot packs which are placed thereon and in thecentral portion thereof. The hot packs and the fabric on which they areplaced, are then immersed in a desired solution which may be containedin a suitable basin, 33, which may be received on the base, 10. Theoperator then grasps the cross rods and inserts them in position in thehooks, 15, on the standards, 12 and 13, respectively. If desired, theboiling water may be poured over the hot packs and the fabric bearingstrip after the rods are placed in position in the device and when themiddle portion of the fabric strip and the packs occupy a position overthe basin, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, arms,14, are fixed in position on the standards and the ends of the rods, 16,passing through the hooks engage the spring members which retain theends of the rods in It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 1, thata space is provided between the inwardly extending arms, 14, whichpermits the operator to place the rods in position in the device withoutin any way contacting the device. Any danger of transferring infectionfrom one pack to another is thereby avoided.

The operator then grasps the handle, 27, and pulls the same outwardlyuntil the fabric strip is substantially fiat and straight. Then, byturning the handle, the fabric strip and the hot packs are graduallytwisted until the excess moisture is wrung therefrom, and the fabricstrip assumes the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. As thefabric and pack are twisted, they are shortened and the shaft passesforwardly through its bearing towards the opposite end of the deviceuntil the hub on the handle, 27, engages the bearing block, 21. Suchoperation usually requires 5 or 6 turns of the handle and the operationmay be carried out in 4 or 5 seconds.

The rods, 16, together with the fabric strip and the pack are removed asa unit from the device. The unit is then carried to the place where thepacks are to be applied in order to retain the heat in the packs. Thefabric is then unwound, the packs removed, and the unit is then returnedto the device and is ready to be sterilized and placed in the device foranother operation.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 4, the arm, 141,is pivoted to the standard, 12, as at, 34. It will, of course, beunderstood that the other arm attached to the other standard, 12, aswell as the arms attached to the cross-head, are similarly pivoted. Suchpivotal arrangement permits the fabric and the pack to sag more readilyinto the basin, 33.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 6, the arms, 142,(only one of which is illustrated) are attached to the standards, 12, bya ball and socket joint thereby providing universal movement, andpermitting greater freedom of movement for the fabric strip. The head,121, on the standard, 12, is provided with a semispherical recess, 35,in which a ball, 36, is received, to which ball the inner end of thearm, 142, is secured. The ball may be clamped in position by a cap, 37,provided with a flange, 38, which is screwthreaded on its interior asat, 39, such screw threads engaging threads, 40, on the head, 121.

It is to be understood from the foregoing, that in using the ball andsocket joint, my main purpose is to allow the fabric strip and pack tosag to a position within the recess of the basin. Hence, such universalmounting will be utilized at each point of support for rods, 16. It canreadily be seen that the arms, secured by universal mountings, to thecrosshead 25, will assume relatively similar positions with respect tosaid cross-head, when a rod is inserted therebetween. A modification,therefore, of this arrangement, which would be equally effective wouldconsist in mounting the cross-head, 25, on the end of the shaft, 19,utilizing a ball and socket joint, in which case the universal mountingfor its arms on the cross-head would be dispensed with. With thisarrangement, the weight of the strip and pack would cause the cross-headto extend downwardly, forming an angle with the substantially horizontalplane of the axis of shaft, 19. The

twisting of said strip and pack would cause the plane of the cross-headto approach and coincide with the plane of the axis of shaft, 19, suchdepending on the force exerted in twisting said strip and pack.

In Fig. 5, the device is mounted on wall brackets one of which isillustrated at, 351.

When the arms, 142, are mounted for universal movement in the mannerdescribed, the two arms on the standard, 12, and the two arms attachedto the cross-head, 25, are preferably connected by a yielding membercomprising, in the embodiment illustrated, a rod, 43, attached at oneend to one of the rods by a spring, 44. The provision of the yieldingconnection between the two arms,

142, maintains the same in spaced relation and thereby prevents the rodsfrom dropping from the supporting hooks. At the same time, the provisionof this yielding connection permits the insertion of rods of varyinglengths to receive strips of fabric which may be of different widths.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. '7, the rods, 161,are provided at their ends with grooves, 45, only one of which isillustrated. The arrangement illustrated in Fig. 7, is particularlyapplicable where the arms are mounted have used in describing myinvention are words of description rather than words of limitation, andthat changes within the purview of the appended claims may be madewithout departing from the true scope and spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, thecombination of a supporting device, of a rotatable shaft mountedthereon, a cross-head mounted on said shaft, non-rotatable supportingmeans mounted on said device, a piece of flexible material adapted toreceive a hot pack and provided at its ends with openings extendingtransversely thereof, rods adapted to be received in said openings,means comprising members provided with cross-head and. to saidnon-rotatable supporting means, respectively, for supporting said rods,the open mouths of said hooks being sufficiently large to permit thepassage of the ends of said rods, and means whereby said shaft may berotated.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of asupporting device, of a rotatable shaft mounted thereon, a cross-headmounted on said shaft, non-rotatable supporting means mounted on saiddevice, a piece of flexible material adapted to receive a hot pack andprovided at its ends with openings which extend transversely thereof,rods adapted to be received in said openings, means comprising membersprovided with open-mouthed hooked ends attached to said cross-head andto said non-rotatable sup porting means, respectively, for supportingsaid rods, the open mouths of said hooks being sufficiently large topermit the passage of the ends of said rods, means whereby said shaftmay be rotated and spring means for preventing movement of said rodsbeyond the said hooked ends.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of asupporting device, of a rotatable shaft mounted thereon, a cross-headmounted on said shaft, a piece of flexible material adapted to receivea'hot pack and provided at its ends with openings extending transverselythereof, rods adapted to be received in said openings, members providedat their ends with hooks for supporting said rods and swingingly mountedon said cross-head and on said supporting device facing said cross-head,respectively, and means whereby said shaft may be rotated.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of asupporting device, of a rotatable shaft mounted thereon, a cross headmounted on said shaft, non-rotatable supporting means mounted on saidsupporting device, a piece of flexible material adapted to receive a hotpack and provided at its ends with openings extending transverselythereof, rods adapted to be received in said openings, said cross headand said nonrotatable supporting means being provided with members forthe reception of the ends of the respective rods, means whereby saidshaft may be rotated, and spring means associated with said members fornormally preventing movement of said rods beyond the said members.

JOSEPH M. CANTWELL.

